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Dark of the West
(Glass Alliance #1)
by
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war? Code Name Verity meets The Winner's Curse in Joanna Hathaway's Dark of the West, a breathtaking YA fantasy debut.
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around th ...more
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of a small kingdom in the North, raised in privilege but shielded from politics as her brother prepares to step up to the throne. Halfway around th ...more
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Hardcover, 480 pages
Published
February 5th 2019
by Tor Teen
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Start your review of Dark of the West (Glass Alliance, #1)

Update 1/8/19
We're less than a month away from release (!) and I want to share a few things I've been getting questions about on Instagram:
1) Yes, there will be a map in the final copy! It really helps with tracking the various kingdoms and political games. (ETA: You can now view the map here: http://www.joannachathaway.com/map )
2) This is not a standalone book and the Glass Alliance series will continue beyond Dark of the West! (I recently discovered you can add the sequel here: https://www.goo ...more
We're less than a month away from release (!) and I want to share a few things I've been getting questions about on Instagram:
1) Yes, there will be a map in the final copy! It really helps with tracking the various kingdoms and political games. (ETA: You can now view the map here: http://www.joannachathaway.com/map )
2) This is not a standalone book and the Glass Alliance series will continue beyond Dark of the West! (I recently discovered you can add the sequel here: https://www.goo ...more

I LOVED this book and am now obsessed with this world. A fantasy world at war inspired by World War II-era Europe? It is just as beautiful and bittersweet as it sounds.
Some books move so slowly you feel as though your soul is being sucked away. Other books move at a steady progression, building and building, while you know a sudden crescendo will bring it all crashing down. This is the latter and it’s still building.
The MOMENT I finished I went back to read the Prologue straight away and it just ...more
Some books move so slowly you feel as though your soul is being sucked away. Other books move at a steady progression, building and building, while you know a sudden crescendo will bring it all crashing down. This is the latter and it’s still building.
The MOMENT I finished I went back to read the Prologue straight away and it just ...more

I am so terribly behind on reviews, but I thought I'd write up a very quick mini review until I can catch up!
First of all, I have to commend the writing! It's rare I come across a voice as vivid as Athan's in particular (and Aurelia's was fantastic too)! I loved being utterly swept away in their narrative. By the time I finished, I felt like they were beside me - living and breathing - so much so that I felt their pain as my own.
The story is far from your average royalty-based YA book (which d ...more
First of all, I have to commend the writing! It's rare I come across a voice as vivid as Athan's in particular (and Aurelia's was fantastic too)! I loved being utterly swept away in their narrative. By the time I finished, I felt like they were beside me - living and breathing - so much so that I felt their pain as my own.
The story is far from your average royalty-based YA book (which d ...more

"Nothing's gained without sacrifice". These are the words of General Dakar, ruler of Savient for the past ten years. The General controls Savient and several NE territories near the Black Sea. West of Savient is the small kingdom of Etania ruled by a Queen (Sinora Lehzar) with powerful ties to Resya, located south of the Black Sea. Having married the King of the Northern realm of Etania, she became Queen upon his death despite her Southern roots. Enemies became allies, friends became foes in war
...more

Beautiful, bittersweet, and lovely, Joanna Hathaway's debut is a gorgeous must-read. Politics and war, star-crossed lovers and secrets held close—the story begins gently, carefully, and builds in careful strokes to a crescendo of clashing emotions and vendettas. I devoured the story in a matter of a few days, a rarity for me.
Lengthier review to come. In the meantime, add this to your lists! ...more
Lengthier review to come. In the meantime, add this to your lists! ...more

Jan 29, 2019
Faith M ✨
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
net-galley,
mc-boi,
arc,
dont-believe-the-hype,
science-fiction,
young-adult,
dnf,
fantasy,
mc-gurl,
read-2019
I received this eARC from Tor Teen on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way.
DNF'd at chapter 2
I'm sure the book is fine, and I liked some aspects of it, but the prologue was terrible as far as plot goes, the writing is simultaneously pretentious and boring—and somehow manages to read like distance-inducing third person despite being first—and so much exposition has been spewed at me, I feel like I've already read half the book. There ...more
DNF'd at chapter 2
I'm sure the book is fine, and I liked some aspects of it, but the prologue was terrible as far as plot goes, the writing is simultaneously pretentious and boring—and somehow manages to read like distance-inducing third person despite being first—and so much exposition has been spewed at me, I feel like I've already read half the book. There ...more

Jan 09, 2019
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
marked it as wishlist
You had me at "The Winner's Curse"
...more

Full Review on The Candid Cover
Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway is unlike any fantasy I’ve read before. The book features espionage, forbidden romance, and aviation, which is such any amazing combination. I enjoyed both of the main characters, and the writing is impressive. I would definitely recommend this one as it is an original high fantasy.
This book tells the story of a pilot and a princess torn apart by politics. Athan is the son of a powerful general, and Aurelia is the daughter of the ...more
Dark of the West by Joanna Hathaway is unlike any fantasy I’ve read before. The book features espionage, forbidden romance, and aviation, which is such any amazing combination. I enjoyed both of the main characters, and the writing is impressive. I would definitely recommend this one as it is an original high fantasy.
This book tells the story of a pilot and a princess torn apart by politics. Athan is the son of a powerful general, and Aurelia is the daughter of the ...more

"We'll just keep running. Just be quick enough to stay ahead. It's what I'll always do. Because I have you. And I fly for you."
♡ Dark of the West is a lovely debut, that although difficult to follow at times, remains intriguing enough to snatch the reader’s undivided attention. From the very first pages, the prologue sparks intense curiosity, and lures one into the story. What I admire most about this novel is the lush world Hathaway crafts, seamlessly weaving together fantasy and WWI and II ...more

One of my favorite books. Ever.
The story is driven as Athan, son of a fearsome military leader, is sent to spy on princess Aurelia. Too often in fantasy love stories do I see the romantic plot take over, and a war just becomes a backdrop. Not here. In fact, it was the politics that really drew me in.
It begins with Athan's family, who each have their own specific talent of war. His father is a man who united ragtag nations and created a formidable army that continues to conquer. His oldest brothe ...more
The story is driven as Athan, son of a fearsome military leader, is sent to spy on princess Aurelia. Too often in fantasy love stories do I see the romantic plot take over, and a war just becomes a backdrop. Not here. In fact, it was the politics that really drew me in.
It begins with Athan's family, who each have their own specific talent of war. His father is a man who united ragtag nations and created a formidable army that continues to conquer. His oldest brothe ...more

I've read this book several times now, through many different drafts, and every single time I do I'm amazed all over again how beautiful, how inspiring, how epic, how well-written and gripping and heartbreaking and brilliant this story and Jo are. If you love fantasy, you'll adore this book. If you love historical fiction, you'll adore this book. If you love romance, you'll adore this book. (And NO love triangle! Yay!) If you love friendship, bromance, World War II, fighter planes, horses, balls
...more
![laurel [the suspected bibliophile]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546974316p2/7494844.jpg)
DNF at 25%
This should have been one of my top reads of 2019. It has everything I wanted—a WWI/WWII inspired fantasy world filled with airplanes, danger, spies and snipers, politics and murder.
However, I felt that it was severely lacking in context. It was like being dropped into the middle of a series, where everything was already established, battle lines were drawn, and the author chose not to see fit to give the reader a clue what the hell was going on. Yes, I could probably finagle things ou ...more
This should have been one of my top reads of 2019. It has everything I wanted—a WWI/WWII inspired fantasy world filled with airplanes, danger, spies and snipers, politics and murder.
However, I felt that it was severely lacking in context. It was like being dropped into the middle of a series, where everything was already established, battle lines were drawn, and the author chose not to see fit to give the reader a clue what the hell was going on. Yes, I could probably finagle things ou ...more

Nov 27, 2018
Minni Mouse
added it
DNF at 8% because let's be honest -- this book was all bad book chemistry for me the moment the blurb compared itself to The Winner's Curse. Good for you, marketing team, trying to steal and make money off of my babies.

Where and when in the world are we? An alternate reality World War II time period? If so, strike two bad book chemistry fail with the contemporary tone -- Mama here don't do contemporary stories. Some people might applaud the author for trying to create a new and fresh setting fo ...more

Where and when in the world are we? An alternate reality World War II time period? If so, strike two bad book chemistry fail with the contemporary tone -- Mama here don't do contemporary stories. Some people might applaud the author for trying to create a new and fresh setting fo ...more

lmao my only solace to this coming out next febraury (oh yes) is that it's getting a new cover.
bc like i said before: what a travesty of a cover. ...more
bc like i said before: what a travesty of a cover. ...more

Mar 09, 2017
Cindy ✩☽♔
marked it as to-read
6/22/18
Update: Cover is now model free, yay! A little tame and standard but that's okay with me lol
---
Another unappealing cover of a girl in a dress, woo...*eye roll* ...more
Update: Cover is now model free, yay! A little tame and standard but that's okay with me lol
---
Another unappealing cover of a girl in a dress, woo...*eye roll* ...more

Mini review:
DNF
Trigger warning: Mention of war and death. Till the point I read.
I received this E-ARC via Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have heard and seen this book everywhere. When I saw it on Netgalley I got curious and requested it. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
The writing style for one of the main characters’ point of view was off. It started to irk me. And it was taking a long time to process what I just read. Which is one I decided to put it dow ...more
DNF
Trigger warning: Mention of war and death. Till the point I read.
I received this E-ARC via Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have heard and seen this book everywhere. When I saw it on Netgalley I got curious and requested it. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
The writing style for one of the main characters’ point of view was off. It started to irk me. And it was taking a long time to process what I just read. Which is one I decided to put it dow ...more

WHY 👏DID 👏NO ONE 👏TELL ME 👏HOW GOOD 👏THIS 👏BOOK 👏IS
This is such a richly written political YA fantasy and MAN did it hit me hard w a rich slow burn intricate plot that made my head spin for a minute
Athan is the first poignant male POV I’ve read in awhile... also the first male POV I’ve connected so deeply w in forever so props to that *snaps*
While I admit this book lagged for about 100 pages in the middle (after around page 200) and could have been about a whole hundred pages shorter the plot ...more
This is such a richly written political YA fantasy and MAN did it hit me hard w a rich slow burn intricate plot that made my head spin for a minute
Athan is the first poignant male POV I’ve read in awhile... also the first male POV I’ve connected so deeply w in forever so props to that *snaps*
While I admit this book lagged for about 100 pages in the middle (after around page 200) and could have been about a whole hundred pages shorter the plot ...more

This book is stunning!
Don’t be fooled by the heart-pounding pace of this book, this story is also beautifully, delicately told and should be savored, page by page. Don’t expect to get any sleep either, Hathaway’s writing had me flipping pages well into the night. A must-read for 2019. This book will be your new favorite!
Don’t be fooled by the heart-pounding pace of this book, this story is also beautifully, delicately told and should be savored, page by page. Don’t expect to get any sleep either, Hathaway’s writing had me flipping pages well into the night. A must-read for 2019. This book will be your new favorite!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway is an unexpected and sprawling debut YA fantasy. The world-building and scope of this novel are grand and point to an incredibly detailed history. The author does a wonderful job of mixing the WWII-esque political elements and classic fantasy elements. Hathaway's cast of characters are also quite intriguing, including the secondary characters, and all are well developed. I pa ...more
Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway is an unexpected and sprawling debut YA fantasy. The world-building and scope of this novel are grand and point to an incredibly detailed history. The author does a wonderful job of mixing the WWII-esque political elements and classic fantasy elements. Hathaway's cast of characters are also quite intriguing, including the secondary characters, and all are well developed. I pa ...more

I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author.
Warning: This review MAY contain spoilers.
This book really impressed me. I admit that it took me longer to get into the story that I would have liked, but once I dug my feet in I was hooked. Hathaway's writing style is so fluent and beautiful that it is hard to walk away from. I enjoyed her writing voice. If I am being honest, the writing felt like it fell somewhere between young adult and adult. Her storytelling is marvelou ...more
Warning: This review MAY contain spoilers.
This book really impressed me. I admit that it took me longer to get into the story that I would have liked, but once I dug my feet in I was hooked. Hathaway's writing style is so fluent and beautiful that it is hard to walk away from. I enjoyed her writing voice. If I am being honest, the writing felt like it fell somewhere between young adult and adult. Her storytelling is marvelou ...more

What I love: Oh my goodness gracious, this series is going to murder me before it’s over. I don’t know how many books are planned, but I’m freaking out thinking of what is to come. I read this all the way through, then reread the prologue, and I’m even more of a mess now. THE DARK OF THE WEST is filled with political maneuvering and the machinations of war. And you need to pay attention from the start. It is all told through the perspective of a young princess and a new pilot, who are slowly but
...more

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy of Dark of the West, and I absolutely loved it. The forbidden love between Athan and Ali is heartbreakingly bittersweet, especially as they are inexorably dragged closer and closer to a war neither of them wants. But this book is about more than soldiers and star-crossed lovers. There's also deep friendships, family ties, and shifting political loyalties--plenty of intrigue to keep the pages turning! Can't wait to see this novel on the shelve
...more

LOVE LETTERS. THE MOST PERFECT BEAUTIFUL LOVE LETTERS IN THIS BOOK I SWEAR I AM TRASH FOR IT.

3.5 stars.
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war?
This book has all the right elements I'm interested in. It is a war story which I don't read often but fascinated at. It is an undercover/spy story turns a love story, you know, that kind of trope. I LOVE IT. I was really looking forward to this book and I can say it somehow delivered. Somehow. Here's the thing, there were times I got bored reading this, especially in the first two-thirds of the story. ...more
He was raised in revolution. She was raised in a palace. Can their love stop a war?
This book has all the right elements I'm interested in. It is a war story which I don't read often but fascinated at. It is an undercover/spy story turns a love story, you know, that kind of trope. I LOVE IT. I was really looking forward to this book and I can say it somehow delivered. Somehow. Here's the thing, there were times I got bored reading this, especially in the first two-thirds of the story. ...more

The is one of the best -- if not the best -- young adult series I've read in a long time. It has everything: war, love, action, spies, intrigue and it's political and smart. The author has clearly done her research on WWI and WW2 geopolitics in creating this fascinating world and even more fascinating characters. (I've been lucky enough to review an early copy of book 2, and yes, it gets better.)
Oh, and did I mention Hathaway's gorgeous prose? It's got that too. I don't say this lightly, but th ...more
Oh, and did I mention Hathaway's gorgeous prose? It's got that too. I don't say this lightly, but th ...more

OMG guys....this book is so beautiful. I had the privilege of reading this book early on in its journey to publication. The grand sweep of the story takes you from the skies to a glittering court to a war zone. It's lush and evocative, the writing is incredible lyrical...I could go on and on. Pick this one up, you won't regret it!
...more

Review from TenaciousReader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2019/0...
Dark of the West is the story of revolution, war, and of course, of forbidden love. It’s told through alternating perspectives from Athan, who grew up in constant war and is the third son of a ruthless and powerful general who is leading a revolution. Aurelia grew up somewhat sheltered as a princess of smaller kingdom that has not experienced war firsthand at home.
I really enjoyed both perspectives. Athan is a pilot who is gett ...more
Dark of the West is the story of revolution, war, and of course, of forbidden love. It’s told through alternating perspectives from Athan, who grew up in constant war and is the third son of a ruthless and powerful general who is leading a revolution. Aurelia grew up somewhat sheltered as a princess of smaller kingdom that has not experienced war firsthand at home.
I really enjoyed both perspectives. Athan is a pilot who is gett ...more

Jan 26, 2019
Vicky Again
added it
in short: very...dense? it's not for me.
I feel like I’m just not the right audience for this book? It’s a YA book and it’s almost WWI-ish with the world developments (planes + guns + such), but in a fictional world with lots of politics.
Huge emphasis on the lots. So much politics. And fictional countries. And political maneuvers because ~war~.
I was attracted to this book because of the cover and because friends liked it, but I feel like I’m just not the right person for this book? It’s almost ...more
I feel like I’m just not the right audience for this book? It’s a YA book and it’s almost WWI-ish with the world developments (planes + guns + such), but in a fictional world with lots of politics.
Huge emphasis on the lots. So much politics. And fictional countries. And political maneuvers because ~war~.
I was attracted to this book because of the cover and because friends liked it, but I feel like I’m just not the right person for this book? It’s almost ...more

This war is young and doesn't yet know what it wants
* * *
3 / 5
Dark of the West confused me. It felt like a clever book, full of plots and intrigue, but I felt lost for most of it. There was too much going on, too many betrayals and a little bit too pretentious.
Somewhere, the forest is burning, my father is raging, and the kingdom staggers
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of the Kingdom of Etania. Etania is one of the northern kingdoms that has a complicated relationship with the newly forged in blo ...more
* * *
3 / 5
Dark of the West confused me. It felt like a clever book, full of plots and intrigue, but I felt lost for most of it. There was too much going on, too many betrayals and a little bit too pretentious.
Somewhere, the forest is burning, my father is raging, and the kingdom staggers
Aurelia Isendare is a princess of the Kingdom of Etania. Etania is one of the northern kingdoms that has a complicated relationship with the newly forged in blo ...more

This book has been on my radar ever since I learned earlier last year that it’s comp title was The Winner's Curse. Comp titles, or comparison titles, are 1-2 similar titles to the book. (Think of it as “If you liked these titles, you’d like [this book].”) Along with TWC, the other comp title is Code Name Verity, which is a book I haven’t read but one I’ve heard.
Anywho, DotW was pushed back by almost a full year when it got a cover redesign. There are some ARCs still floating around with the old ...more
Anywho, DotW was pushed back by almost a full year when it got a cover redesign. There are some ARCs still floating around with the old ...more
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Joanna was born in Montréal and is an avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be found reading, traveling, or riding horses.
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Glass Alliance
(3 books)
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